John Travolta will be heading to court to defend himself against a lawsuit that claims the actor assaulted a Royal Caribbean employee.

A federal judge has thrown out a petition from Travolta's lawyer that requested the lawsuit be handled through private arbitration.

As a result of this ruling, the 58-year-old Pulp Fiction star will have to head to court and publicly face graphic accusations from Fabian Zanzi, who has accused Travolta of "forcefully embracing" him during a neck massage.

Zani says the actor engaged in contact that was "nonconsensual, inappropriate, extreme and outrageous" after disrobing during a June 2009 cruise. The lawsuit also claims Travolta offered the former cruise line employee $12,000 to stay quiet.